James Marcel Cartier (1975-2001), a Local 3 Union electrician working at the World Trade Center, was killed in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

James was the second-youngest child of seven in his Jackson Heights family. Born on June 22, 1975, he was soft spoken, cheerful, and easily affectionate. James had a strong work ethic. Beginning at age 13, he worked several jobs at a mall in Jackson Heights, from a stationery store to a drugstore, and more. He graduated from Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School in 1994.

He was close with his younger brother, Michael. The two worked together at a local pizzeria, and shared a childhood bedroom before moving out to an apartment in Astoria together with a friend. Michael said they had a bad night's sleep when they first moved, since they were no longer sharing a room. Even with their separate apartment, James continued to visit his parents, Carmen and Patrick, frequently for dinner.

He was well-known in the neighborhood because of that work ethic, which continued during his time as an electrician. He'd pick up electrical jobs to fill six days of his week, and if there weren't enough of those jobs, he'd work the counter at the A & F Deli. Everyone knew him from somewhere he'd worked.

James had worked as an apprentice on the 92nd floor for about two weeks before the attack, on a job for the insurance company Aon Corp. He reached his siblings four times on the phone before the tower collapsed. It was on the final call that he told his sister Marie to make sure his parents knew he loved them.

His sister Michelle also worked at the World Trade Center, but made it out alive, covered in ash when she got home. Their father, grateful to not have lost Michelle, too, remained full of grief and anger, telling Newsday that, "as far as I'm concerned, I died with him."

On the first anniversary of the attacks, Michael and their sister Jennie Susan Farrell appeared on a televised town hall meeting on NBC, determined to keep James' memory alive, and to share what a special person the world had lost. "The loss will never go away," she told Newsday, "but we should pause to celebrate life and how precious it is."

A proposal to co-name this portion of 87th Street, where James grew up, in his honor passed in 2003.